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Letter: March food and fund drive exceeds goals

As the new manager for the Bemidji Community Food Shelf, I would like to thank the people of the Bemidji area for their amazing support during the recent 2014 March FoodShare food and fund drive.

The 2014 March FoodShare Campaign ended Monday. It is the largest food and fund drive in the state, and is coordinated by Minnesota FoodShare, a program of the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches. March FoodShare is crucial because the summer months are typically low donation months for food shelves and pantries. The money and food donated during the campaign enables us to continue to provide this critical emergency service throughout the summer months and into the fall.

Each year our board sets goals for the March campaign. Our 2014 goals were very ambitious, and some of us were a tad nervous about how things would come out. We had hoped to take in 55,000 pounds of food and $90,000. Today, we are thrilled to report that we not only met, but far surpassed our goals.

This will enable us to pay our bills from April to September, when we usually operate $10,000 to $15,000 behind. And your generous donations given during March FoodShare will go even further, because they receive an additional match through Minnesota FoodShare.

Again, thank you for demonstrating that you understand and value the importance of the service we provide to the area. We feel very blessed.